Mark Sanford announces run for Congress

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford launched his political comeback Wednesday, announcing his candidacy for the state's vacant congressional seat.

Sanford, a former House member whose political ambitions were thwarted after he admitted to engaging in an extra-marital affair with an Argentinian woman, is seeking the seat of former Rep. Tim Scott, who was appointed to Jim DeMint’s Senate seat. In a statement announcing his candidacy, the former governor sought to frame himself as a fierce conservative who would combat federal spending.

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In a statement announcing his candidacy, the former governor sought to frame himself as a fierce conservative who would combat federal spending.

"I am running because our country's future is at stake if we don't get our hands around runaway government spending in Washington," Sanford said in the statement. "And given our nation's long-term financial problems, we need more who have shown themselves to be leaders in standing up to the big spenders, regardless of party."

The Republican had been signaling his intention to run for the Charleston-based seat for weeks. On Tuesday, he gave a lengthy interview to the National Review, a Washington-based conservative magazine, in which he previewed his campaign.
Sanford, who boasts universal name ID, will be the favorite in what is expected to be a crowded field of Republican candidates. Other likely candidates include state Sen. Larry Grooms, state Rep. Chip Limehouse, and philanthropist Teddy Turner, the son of television executive Ted Turner.

But the former governor is likely to come under scrutiny from South Carolina's conservative voters about his affair, which he admitted to in 2009. Sanford's wife and longtime top political hand, Jenny Sanford, later filed for divorce. Jenny Sanford had been considering running for the open House seat but announced this week that she would not do so.
In the National Review interview, Sanford indicated that he would be direct with voters in acknowledging the affair.

"You have to, in essence, look under the hood. There's a larger philosophical question. In life we're all going to make mistakes, we're all going to come up short. The key is, how do you get back up and how do you learn from those mistakes?" he told the magazine. "But I think that the bigger issue is, don't judge any one person by their best day, don't judge them by their worst day. Look at the totality, the whole of their life, and make judgments accordingly."

Chip Felkel, a Republican strategist in South Carolina, said the expected crowded field of candidates indicates that Sanford is hardly a lock to win the race.

“If everyone down there was excited about him getting in, I don’t think you would see quite this many people in the race,” he said. “They have to be hearing from voters that they want some other choices.”

The Republican primary is slated for March 19, and a runoff will be held on April 2 in the event none of the candidates receive more than 50 percent of the vote. The general election is set for May 7, though Democrats are not expected to seriously compete for the conservative-oriented seat.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Tim Scott was appointed to the Senate in January. He was appointed in December and sworn in this month.